Punk rock legend Casey Chaos dies aged 59 as tributes flood in for 'tortured soul'

Casey Chaos of Amen has died aged 59 as tributes pour in (Image: --)

The punk rock community is mourning the loss of an icon, Casey Chaos, who passed away at 59 years old.

Brian Perera, the head honcho at Cleopatra Records, broke the news about the passing of Amen's frontman. He expressed his sorrow: "With heartfelt sadness, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Casey Chaos."

Brain praised the late musician's authentic connection to the scene, adding that "Casey wasn't just an extraordinary musician - he truly lived and breathed the lifestyle."

In a moving homage, he said: "May he rest in peace alongside Rozz Williams and the many tortured souls we admire and respect."

A storied history on stage saw Chaos performing with groups such as Christian Death and Scum, besides his pivotal role in Amen. Born Karim Chmielnski on October 9, 1965, in Trenton, New York, he grew up in Melbourne, Florida and was gripped by skateboarding from a young age, reports the Mirror.

Casey Chaos' death was confirmed by Brian Perera (Image: Mick Hutson/Redferns)

Chaos embarked on a touring adventure by ten, thanks to his skateboarding comrade Duane Peters' introduction to Black Flag in 1982 an encounter which steered him towards the music industry. His first band, which included Ken Decter on guitar, Scot Lade on bass, and drummer Bill Erwin, went through several iterations from Casey and the Skate Punx to Disorderly Conduct, eventually morphing into Amen upon relocating to Los Angeles.

Over more than a decade, Amen unleashed four studio albums, namely Slave (1994), Amen (1999), We Have Come for Your Parents (2000) and Death Before Musick (2004).

Frontman Casey Chaos made waves on NME's 2001 circuit alongside the likes of Alfie, JJ72, and Starsailor. Notably, he teamed up with Christian Death's guitarist Rikk Agnew on the 1993 album Iconologia and rocked stages with Scum.

Eagerly diving into a new Amen project in 2014, the endeavour hit a snag due to touring commitments with Slipknot's Knotfest.

Casey Chaos was branded as a 'tortured soul' (Image: Brian Rasic/Getty Images)

Attempts to resume the album floundered anew in 2019 as Casey was thwarted by the coronavirus outbreak, leaving the work unfinished. Following the tragic announcement of his passing, heartfelt tributes have flooded social media.

Drummer Roy Mayorga paid his respects, stating: "Rest in peace - Casey Chaos! It was great to know you and to call you my friend. I will miss you always. There will never be another one like you... love you brother."

Veteran MTV host Matt Pinfield shared his sorrow, noting: "My heart has been heavy today because we lost one of my brothers and our friend Casey Chaos. Rest In Peace, my rock and roll brother."

Similarly, Guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite expressed he was "shocked to hear of the passing of our friend Casey Chaos."

He went on to say: "I know he was in a lot of pain over the years, he really threw himself around onstage back in the day..such a lovely bloke, we just hung out together 2 months ago."

Journalist Sammy Jones penned: "Really sad to hear the news about Casey Chaos. I did a couple of interviews with him back in the day, which turned into really long, sometimes deep conversations about life. Fond memories of him, and his shows. Another lesson in making every day count. RIP Casey."